Hines Hill Road bike lanes in jeopardy in Hudson

by Laura Freeman | ReporterPublished: January 13, 2013 12:00AM

Hudson -- The city had plans to widen each side of Hines Hill Road from the Boston Heights border to the entrance way of the former Youth Development Center, 996 Hines Hill Road, but the Ohio Department of Transportation won't allow the bike lanes.

Thom Sheridan, city engineer for Hudson, told Council members Jan. 8 that ODOT will fund the resurfacing of Hines Hill Road as part of the ODOT Resurfacing Projects, but the 4-foot bike lanes along 0.35 miles of Hines Hill Road would impact wetlands too much, and he had to remove the bike lanes from the project when he submitted it to ODOT that week. The cost of the bike lanes was estimated at $170,000.

Hines Hill will have an 18-inch gravel berm on each side of the road instead, Sheridan said.

ODOT will provide 80 percent of the funding for the resurfacing of Hines Hill Road. The city would have to pay $108,000 for the $540,000 repaving project.

The city will look at alternatives for bicyclists that would have less impact on the wetlands.

Park Board Chair Rob Swedenborg said in an earlier interview the Veterans Trail would be from the Boston Heights border to Prospect Street with the first phase completed in 2013 and budgeted at $800,000.

The original trail proposal was for two 4-foot bike lanes along each side of Hines Hill Road for a quarter of a mile, and then a 10-foot paved asphalt trail off the road. The alternative plan was a 10-foot paved asphalt trail along the entire length, Swedenborg said.

Although the park board hasn't met, Swedenborg said Jan. 10 that members prefer an off-the-road trail so people aren't riding next to the road, but the park board will have to investigate the costs.

"If it's not too costly, we can go with that [off road] alternative," Swedenborg said. "It's not the worst thing in the world."